How A Simple Flyer Turned The Tides
An NMA member made the flyer below and handed it out to his neighbors when there were speed bumps were being considered for his neighborhood. There was widespread support for the speed bumps initially, but that quickly changed after they read the flyer.
THINKING OF SIGNING THAT SPEED BUMP PETITION?
Here are some questions we thought you’d want the answers to. You may want to reconsider signing!
Fire at your house? Well, the fire truck will eventually arrive after it makes a complete stop at each bump. Time lost at each bump will be 15 seconds. Sit tight, help will arrive – later.
Relative having a heart attack? The ambulance will be there – later.
Does your youngster have skates, a skateboard or a bicycle? Speed bumps attract children into the street and into traffic. It’s fun to jump those bumps! The ambulance will be there – later!
Has snow removal been a problem? If it hasn’t, it probably will be.
Is your house attractive? How will it look with two of those 2 1/2-feet-square “Speed Bump – 20 mph” signs out in front? And those foot-wide zebra stripes on the bump? Lovely! Or maybe they won’t be in front of YOUR house. Do you feel lucky?
What do you think will happen to the suspension and exhaust systems on your nice car at normal, legal speeds when you cross those bumps at least twice a day? Ouch! It’s hard on the brakes, too. And what about your wallet? Ouch!
Some vehicles, like delivery trucks and maybe your own SUV, almost have to stop at speed bumps. What happens when vehicles unexpectedly stop in traffic? Back to the repair shop!
Are speed bumps good for the environment? No, the unnecessary slowing and accelerating they cause results in wasted fuel and increased air pollution. Bumps can cause noise pollution, too, because some drivers who aren’t happy with them will lean on the horn button.
Any way you look at them, bumps are a major nuisance, and drivers may indeed avoid them so that traffic increases on neighboring streets. In any case, even if you’re the only one left driving on your street, you’ll have the pleasure of bounding over those bumps every day, again and again and again….
Next to last question: Who’s paying the bill for installing or removing the bumps? (Hint: It’s not the county.) You are! Ouch!
Have you thought about signing that petition? We hope you’ll reconsider.
Before receiving this flyer, 80 percent of the residents favored speed bumps. After receiving this flyer, only 40 percent of the residents supported these devices. That’s pretty impressive for a one-page flyer!
For more information about the problems with traffic calming devices like speed bumps, please visit the traffic calming section of the NMA website.
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If people actually paid attention to the posted speed limits speed bumbs wouldn’t be needed to prevent 60mph traffic through residential areas where kids are riding bikes and skateboards. I’d rather have my kids subjected to a 20mph brush with a car because he was lured into the roadway by the speed bump than have him suffer a 60mph brush with the uncontrolled traffic that disregards the posted limits.
Does anyone know of grant-money available for traffic research.
Eg, traffic mechanisms, improvements, etc.
Thanks for reading,
jim
Speed bumps are sprouting up in my Maryland neighborhood like weeds. Big, ugly ones made of piles of asphalt.
There is no way I could ride over those bumps at the posted 20 MPH speed without damaging my car.
But than slowing me down, those bumps are keeping me home.
I used to support my local merchants, but now, I think of the speed bumps I have to dodge while driving to local shopping areas, and order from the web instead.
No sales tax, either in many cases, so I guess in a way, they also deny my local governments at least some of the money they need to install even more of them. That might be the ONLY positive thing I can think that speed bumps accomplish.
Speed bumps are growing in my Maryland neighborhood like weeds. There is no way I can ride over those bumps at the posted 20 MPH speed. More like 10 – 15 or I’d damage my car. But aanother thing that speed bumps accomplish, aside from slowing me down, is keeping me home.
I used to support my local merchants, but now, I think of the speed bumps I have to dodge while driving to local shopping areas, and order from the web instead.
No sales tax, either in most cases, so I guess in a way, they also deny my local governments the money they need to install even more of them. That might be the ONLY positive attribute I can think of related to speed bumps.
every bump and pothole in the road knocks you vehicles alignment out just a little bit. if you had speed bumps in your neighbor hood you would be hitting multiple bumps multiple times a day. i have them near my house and i HATE them. i cant hit them in my pickup at 25 without bouncing my big ass up and down in the cab. and if youve ever driven a big truck (fire truck, dump truck, any other sort of heavy vehicle) you would know that you have to damn near stop to cross them especially one with air ride seating (most if not all new fire trucks have them) how many times do you want that fire engine slowing down or stopping while your families possessions. or possibly you or your family get help? if it were me, i want that rig balls to the walls all the way to my house. but hey, i can’t see your house from mine, so you do what you want
Where can I get more information on actual research done about speedbumps and damage to vehicles and INCREASING accidents.
John, please provide the research that fire trucks and ambulances can travel over speed humps/tables at 25 mph. I’ve studied the issue for many years, and not one study states this.
Speeds vary from trucks having to come almost to a complete stop prior to each hump to about 15 mph, depending on the size, suspension, and sensitive equipment carried by the vehicle. Delay of 100% was experienced in Austin, TX, WHILE TRANSPORTING A PATIENT. Furthermore, humps are often placed so close together rescue vehicles cannot regain cruising speed between the humps. One person suffering bone fractures in Florida was air lifted to a hospital to avoid being transported by ambulance back over the humps that were crossed to rescue her.
The tone of your posting is a good example of something I’ve noticed in this discussion for years. People who are adamant about installing speed humps, which are meant to create discomfort and potential injury to all, especially those with some disabilities, are motivated by the sam sort of aggression and indignation toward others that motivates people who speed through neighborhoods.
There are many traffic calming techniques that do not create more risk than they cure. It is curious that only those that can hurt others satisfy some people.
The person who wrote this flier is a complete moron. Speed bumps do not harm or slow down fire trucks, ambulances etc. If they are going 25 mph. Emergancy vehicles, once in a residential subdivision still must do 25 even to an emergancy because of kids, etc. Old hard, tall speed bumps are now replaced with speed tables. You still need to slow down, but they are much easier on vehicles. There has been many studies done on speed bumps and they all point to the fact that they WORK!We have had speed tables put in in our town and now it is a much better place to live. The only people who complained were the people who were SPEEDING!
The only cars that were ever damaged should not of been on the road anyway because the cars were falling apart. We had 1 child killed to a speeder in a subdivision and 2 seriously hurt. After the speed tables were installed we have not had any injuries or deaths and everybody enjoys the quiter streets. Just SLOW DOWN